Escape to Rome

Ron and I are up at 5am ready to bust out of confinement. By 6am we were in the buffet line for breakfast. We spend some time exploring the ship trying to get our bearings since we barely know where anything is, and the go to the meeting point for our "Rome on Your Own" tour. My know it all self figured that since I've been here before, I can show Ron around. What the hell was I thinking.

We go yo the gangway and stick our card iin the machine to check off the ship. Can you believe that a small alarm went off with a message about Ron and I. This burly security guard reads the message and passes us through. I guess it said we were clared of medical isolation otherwise there was going to be some major drama....even though you DO NOT want to mess with the security team on a cruise ship. On each and every cruise we have been on, the security teams all appear to be from India from some kind of warrior caste. Our TSA need to take some serious lessons from these people. Even the women look intimidating. I didn't wan to get billy clubbed by one of them.

Anyway, I didn't realize that it was gonna take 1 1/2 hours to get to the Vatican. We get to the drop off point and we have 5 hours to see the entire city of Rome. It took my mother and I 4 days. We hustle from St Peters square (Ron's comment - that's nice), to the Novana (it was under repair), to the Pathenon (Ron wants to know why there' a hole in the ceiling and what the big deal), to Trevi Fountain (Ron would not do the coin thing), finally to the Spanish Steps. We had our portrait done at the top of the steps and then we walked a few blocks over to the Westin Excelsior (we knew we could get a taxi there). Whiile standing in the lobby of this beautiful hotel we notice that Pfizer (my former employer) is having their VPMC award trip - a bit of irony.

Ron announces he don't want to see no more monuments, he wants Italian pizza. We hop a taxi back near the meeting point and have a wonderful pizza and beer. My ass is gettin broader by the very second. Alas.

I did find a small shop in a side street and bought Erin a beautiful handmade leather purse...she is gonna flip. I also picked up some items to give to my friends. Not tellin...I've got 9 more days of shoppin for my peeps AND of couse mi and mi casa. I got Jordan some new bling.

Back on the ship, we go to dinner and then club hopped to map out a party plan. After some fun in Naples, we are lined up for Ballroom Blitz (gotta work those dance lessons), followed by Motown Hour, and then finish the evening with the 80's Dance Party. Freedom has its moments.

No pictures cause the wireless is down on the ship. Until it gets back up, I have to type these notes out on Ron's crackberry.

Sent via BlackBerry from Cingular Wireless